LG serial number lookup: how old is the appliance?
The serial number is on a silver label inside the appliance: on the liner of a refrigerator, or behind the door of a washer or dryer. An LG serial starts with three digits: the first is the last digit of the year and the next two are the month.
Decode an LG serial number
How to read an LG serial number
Year digit, then month
The serial starts with three digits. The first is the last digit of the year and the next two are the month.
Shape: three digits, two letters, then about seven more characters.
603KWWZ73713 reads as March 2016.
The same code also fits 2026 or 2006. Only the last digit of the year is stored, so the code repeats every ten years. One reference calls the second and third digits the week. LG’s own page says month, and the prefixes in recall notices never go above 12.
Where to find the serial number
The label carries two numbers. The model number always starts with a letter. The serial number starts with three digits.
| Appliance | Where the serial tag is |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | On the liner inside the refrigerator compartment: on the left side of newer models, on the right side of older ones |
| Washer | Front-load: on the front panel behind the door, near the top of the drum opening. Top-load: on the back near the top, or under the lid at the lower right |
| Dryer | On the front panel behind the door, near the top of the drum opening |
| Dishwasher | On the right side of the door, visible with the door open |
| Range | On the left side of the oven door or of the storage drawer |
If the serial number does not decode
- LG does not say how to tell the decade. The print date in the owner’s manual or on the installation sheet shows which decade a repeating code belongs to.
- Kenmore Elite refrigerators with model numbers starting 795, and laundry starting 796, are built by LG and carry LG serials.
- The manufacturer can confirm the date from the serial: LG registration, warranty or serial lookup.
What the age tells you
| Equipment | Typical service life |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 12 to 14 years |
| Clothes washer | 10 to 13 years |
| Clothes dryer | 13 to 14 years |
| Dishwasher | 9 to 15 years |
| Range or oven | 13 to 17 years |
About LG
LG Electronics of South Korea builds its own appliances, with plants in Korea and Mexico among others. It also built Kenmore Elite refrigerators and laundry for Sears, and those carry LG serial numbers.
Questions and answers
Which characters in an LG serial number show the date?
The serial starts with three digits. The first is the last digit of the year and the next two are the month. This applies to units built since 2004.
The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?
Part of the LG date code repeats, so the serial alone fits more than one year. A manufacture date printed on the rating plate, the print date of the owner’s manual or the installation record settles it. For equipment that is still running, the more recent year is usually the right one.
Sources
- LG: how to find my LG model and serial number (manufacturer): https://www.lg.com/us/support/help-library/how-to-find-my-lg-model-and-serial-number--20152254906058
- CPSC recall: LG and Kenmore Elite top-load washers made February 2010 to November 2011, serials 002KW to 111KW (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2013/LG-Recalls-Top-Loading-Washing-Machines-Due-to-Risk-of-Injury
- Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): LG date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/LGDateCodes.html
Formats last checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Found a serial that does not fit? Send a correction. How formats are verified: method and sources.